Back in February of this year, I started taking an over-the-counter antidepressant called 5-HTP. My boyfriend's father said that the 5-HTP was like a miracle drug for him. I've been on and off just about every kind of antidepressant in the last 10 years..so I figured I would try something new. Within a few days of starting the 5-HTP, I started experiencing some pretty wild symptoms. I was very irritable and very focused at the same time. I started to lose control of myself. I was no longer capable of making sound, safe, or even legal decisions. It was like there was no such thing as consequences. I also started rambling and mumbling nonsense throughout the day and finally, I experienced many hallucinations. These symptoms persisted for about 2 weeks.I went to my Dr and he referred me to a sleep specialist. I had that appt on thurs morning. The specialist had no clue what was wrong with me and the only advise he gave me was to stop taking the 5-HTP (which I did immediately). That same night my neighbor came over to visit me and she found me tearing my basement apart. I had found an old easy bake oven and apparently decided that I needed to drive to Walmart for easy bake oven supplies right that moment. It was after midnight and I planned on bringing my 3 yr old daughter with (which was completely insane and TOTALLY out of character for me). My friend ended calling my Bf at work because she was scared I would actually take my daughter. She ended up distracting me until my BF got home. She said that while she was waiting, I was falling asleep every 5 seconds. I also told her that while I was visiting her, I was getting my grocery shopping done. I guess I was completely acting out this hallucination. My BF assumed that I had to have been taking some pretty hard drugs. He didn't believe that U wasn't on anything..so at 3am when I decided to go to the store..he did NOTHING to stop me because he let his anger cloud his judgement. I made it about 3 blocks before I fell asleep and went in the snowbank. It took me about an hr to dig myself out. I realized I forgot my wallet so I ran home, grabbed it, and then took off again. I made it about 4 blocks before I fell back asleep..I woke up before I went in the ditch and just kept going. I remember seeing big brown garbage cans flying over the hood of my car (see what I mean?? NO sound decision making going on this night). A little while later... I woke up back in a ditch. As I was trying to remove myself from the 2nd snowbank..a police officer pulled up. I told him I was exhausted and I had fallen asleep while driving. He asked me if I had anything to drink..told him NO..so he then have me a breathalyzer (my BAC 0.0000). I was acting a littl off do naturally the police ask if I am under the influence of any drugs. I told him that the only stuff in my system is going to be my prescription meds. The cop then had me do a field sobriety test, which I failed miserably. He then asked for permission to search my purse and car. I said absolutely, go for it. A little while later another officer comes up to me with a picture of a little white pill and he asks me if I know what it is..I had absolutely no clue and now I was starting to get confused by all this craziness. Not long later the cop that showed me the picture came back up to me and informed me that they had found 3 of those white pills in a cellophane in my wallet. I was then placed under arrest for 4th degree DUI and 5th degree felony possession of Methylin (Ritalin). I have absolutely NO idea where the pills came from. I had lNEVER seen the pills before and I don't know anyone that has a prescription to them. To this day, I still wonder where the hell I got them from. I was taken to the station where I said things to the police like, "I can see fairies painting golden murals on your walls" I didn't know what I was saying or doing..although I was still smart enough to ask for a lawyer. After questioning me, the took me to the hospital for a blood test and then booked me at the jail and threw me in a cell. This was about 4am Fri morning. I remember absolutely nothing until Saturday afternoon when I woke up. I woke up feeling completely back to normal and almost like I woke up from a dream that I had no control over. Monday morning they released me. I came to the conclusion that I was suffering from serotonin syndrome because of all the medications I was on that could cause it.. And the only thing I did at all different than normal was take the 5-HTP. A month or do after all this, I started seeing a therapist. Immediately he diagnosed me as Bipolar. He retired a few weeks later so I switched to a new therapist. I told her that I really didn't think I was Bipolar. I also explained the whole weird situation with me and how I suspected serotonin syndrome. After listening to all my symptoms and behaviors, she informed me that she was almost positive that I had actually been suffering from a SEVERE manic episode. She tI realized there was something really wrong when I started hallucinating and rambling absolute nonsense right in front of my kids. I lost all control over my actions and it was almost like consequences didn't exist in my mind. My boyfriend thought that I had started taking really heavy illegal drugs. I went to my Dr who sent me to a sleep specialist. The only thing the specialist really did was tell me to stop taking this over-the-counter antidepressant called 5-HTP. For 2 weeks these symptoms continued until I decided to drive to Walmart at like 2am. I fell asleep about 3 blocks from my apt and hit the ditch. I dug myself out in about an hour, drove back home because I had realized I forgot my wallet. I took off as soon as I found it and started falling asleep driving again almost immediately. I can remember seeing big brown garbage dumpster things flying over the hood of my car ad I hit them. Next thing I knew I was waking up in the ditch again. As I was trying to get out a police officer pulled up. He came up to my car, I told him that I thought I fell asleep. I guess I was acting pretty out of it cuz he asked if I was drinking, "NOPE" and he gave me a breathalyzer. My BAC was 0.0000. Then he asked if I was on any illegal drugs and I said the only things in my system are my prescribed medications. He had me do a field sobriety test which I failed miserably. I was then put under arrest for a DUI and agreed to a blood test and a search of my car and purse. As the police were about to take me to the station, the cop that searched my car approached me with a picture of little white pills. He asked me if I knew what they were..I had absolutely no idea and I was completely confused as to why he even asked me that. I wasn't confused for long..I was informed that they found 3 little pills in a cellophane in my wallet (Ritalin apparently). At first I thought they were totally lying until they also informed me that I was not only under arrest for the DUI but also 5th degree possession of a controlled substance. I was completely baffled as to how all this was happening to me. Back at the station I was telling the police that I saw little flying fairies painting golden murals on the walls..: obviously I was hallucinating again, I was taken to the hospital for a blood test and then thrown in jail (about 4am Fri morning). Saturday afternoon I woke up and it was like I was totally back to normal again.,like I had woken up from a bad dream that I could not control. I was released Monday and after giving it a lot of thought, I came to the conclusion that I suffered from serotonin syndrome. The only thing I had done different before I went crazy was start taking 5-HTP (over-the-counter antidepressant) and on top of that I was taking 3 other meds that could cause SS. A couple months later I had my first appt with a therapist. He almost immediately diagnosed me as bipolar. 2?mo later he retired so I started seeing a new therapist. I explained to her that I didn't think I was Bipolar..I also explained the whole SS incident. I told her it must have been serotonin syndrome and she told me that it actually sounded EXACTLY like a very severe manic episode. I was shocked and I didn't believe it until she told me the symptoms of severe mania and every single one matched what I went through. She also told me that thr was how my 1st therapist diagnosed me as BP. He immediately recognized my behavior as severe mania. She also told me this would probably help A LOT with court because in as severe mania as I was in, people can black out (I barely remember anything from the 2 weeks, not even my son's bday party), people lose control of themselves - cant stop yourself from doing certain things - you feel as if there is no such thing as a consequence - people completely lose the ability to make safe, smart, or good choices. It can cause people to ramble on nonsensically and it can cause hallucinations..and irritability. I suffered from ALL of these. My next court case is the 19th when I will be pleading NOT guilty (by reason of mental defect or insanity). If anyone had ANY experience with arrests or charges filed against you during a manic episode, please tell me about it and the outcome. I am really hoping once my therapist's letter is admitted into the court that the prosecution will either drop or significantly lower the charges because I have no memory of the crimes I allegedly committed and I had ZERO control of my faculties. I've never been in trouble before - totally clean record - and I'm a 4.0 college student that is graduating pretty soon. I have 2 young children and I want to become a criminal psychiatrist or psychologist but I would never be able to work in the health care industry again if I had a conviction of felony drug possession. So theoretically, my entire life could be ruined because I decided to try an over-the-counter antidepressant and the stupid medication caused me to have my 1st EVER severe manic episode. That would just be so absolutely ridiculous and unfair. Hopefully it works out for me..keep u posted if possible mold me that was the whole reason my old therapist diagnosed me BP so quickly..he thought it was a manic episode as well. At first I didn't believe it. I had no idea that
mania could get that bad..but when she started reading off the symptoms of a severe mania, I realized that everything she was mentioning, I had experienced during that 2 week period. She also said that the fact that it was such a severe manic episode, it might actually help me in court because ppl with as severe mania as I had usually don't have any control over their actions and they tend to black out during them too. They can also endup quite confused. They often start rambling complete nonsense and experience vivid hallucinations. I have a lawyer now and my next court date is Oct 19th..when I will plead NOT guilty to everything by reason of mental defect or insanity. I'll take it to a jury if I have to but I am really hoping that once all of my evidence is turned over to the prosecutor, that he will either drop the charges or offer me a plea for a way way lesser crime. If anyone else has been in a similar situation, please tell me your story and the outcome.